Journal Entries

Is this modern Ireland?

I was cleaning windows in town today. A bit blustery and rainy, but there were nice patches. Not a bad day, on the whole. My last job of the day was a filling station on the edge of town. From there I was to walk home.

So, I was cleaning the outside of the "Out" door when a little boy, about seven years old, with bright red hair, pushed it open to leave the shop. I stepped back to let him through with a cheery "Hiya!" I always greet kids. Why not? And they usually say hi back. Not this chappie, though.

He was followed by a young man, who seemed to be muttering something at me.

"Pardon?" I said.

He kept walking, throwing the words back over his shoulder. "Do you know him?"

"Er, ... no."

"Then don't talk to him."

And they were gone.


TRiG.smiley - erm

Discuss this Journal entry [13]

Latest reply: Feb 27, 2007

It's a very clear night.

I've just been out to feed the cat.

The sky is frosted with stars.

The lawn is frosted with frost.

TRiG.smiley - magic

Discuss this Journal entry [13]

Latest reply: Feb 6, 2007

Stupid pedestrians!

I'd been down to the Credit Union to pay in some money I'd earned cleaning windows over the past couple of days. And on my way home, turning onto Bridge Street (that's the extremely short street which is really just the bottom end of High Street), speeding up after the traffic lights, I came to that new pedestrian crossing between O'Connor Square and the Bridge Centre, the main shopping centre in the middle of town. The road markings suggest that it isn't intended as a zebra crossing. It's a band of red paint, not a series of white lines. I think it's going to be turned into a pedestrian traffic lights system, even though there's another set of traffic lights not thirty meters away.

And there are a couple of ladies stepping off the pavement into the road. They're in the path of my bike, but they're a little way ahead. I can't say they stepped out right in front of me. In fact, I won't even have to slow down: I'll pass behind them.

This thought had not, though, occured to them. They had not seen me approach, judged my distance, and thought that I'd pass behind them or even that I'd have time to slow down. In fact, they hadn't noticed me at all. So, when they looked up and saw a speeding cyclist bearing down on them, they panicked and stopped. Right in front of me. Causing me to come to a screaching halt. No; I didn't hit them. I did, though, very nearly hit a small boy who was, with his father, also stepping off the pavement without looking at the traffic.

Yes, people. A pedestrian crossing gives you right of way. Sort of. You walk up to it, and stop. You wait by the edge of a road with a stance which makes clear your intention to cross. You wait either for a break in the traffic or for a vehicle to stop. And then you step out into the road.

The two ladies stepped out in a gap. I had enough time to come to a gentle halt, if I'd wanted to. But that was pure luck on their part. They hadn't looked and judged my distance. They hadn't noticed I was there at all. The man and his son stepped out behind them, perhaps thinking that the way would be clear because the women were there. Even so, you shouldn't walk along the pavement and then suddenly turn at right angles onto the road without a pause.

Ah, well. No one got hurt.

TRiG.smiley - grrsmiley - huh

http://voice-of-timothy.blogspot.com/

Discuss this Journal entry [10]

Latest reply: Feb 3, 2007

Who gives? (US charitable giving.)

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/12/13/opinion/main2260285.shtml

A breakdown of who gives to charity, by religious/secular, democrat/republican, and rich/poor. Interesting, though the comments at the end criticise the statistics (and, more so, the data-gathering on which the stats are based).

TRiG.smiley - smiley

Discuss this Journal entry [6]

Latest reply: Dec 15, 2006

Graduand - Graduate

Conferring ceremony today. B.Sc.(Hons.) Applied Chemistry. My mother took a day off her college course to be there, and my dad took a morning off work.

Just home now.

And a pile of work to do in the house for visitors arriving this evening.

TRiG.smiley - biggrin

Discuss this Journal entry [12]

Latest reply: Dec 6, 2006


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TRiG (Ireland) A dog, so bade in office

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